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Eastonian Federation
The Eastonian Federation, commonly known as Eastonia, is a federation of two states in New Iotania: the Republic of Eastonia and the Free State of Westonia in Westerland. Eastonia proper on Terra Gurrana has been settled since the first years of Iotanian colonization and has become a major transport hub for the transcontinental hyperloop network and other routes connecting the four continents of Westerland, Southland, the East and the Great Iceland. The nation is home to many different landscapes ranging from the highly urbanized metropolitan area of Eastonia City-Blåkulla-Kaupmannavik to the Westonian plains and the desolate icelands of New North Eastonia. Eastonia is one of the world's biggest economies owing to its central location along many major trade routes and its currency, the Eastonian dollar (E$), has become an unofficial monetary standard throughout the known world. Citizens of Eastonia generally have a high quality of life as a result of government policies to achieve socio-economic equality in conformity with the philosophy of Peace and Love which has shaped Eastonian cultural and political life for millennia. History In the 1st century NC, Iotanian settlers from New Gurrinea established a trading post at Kaupmannavik on the west coast of Terra Gurrana. While the Iotanian colony at Angstein was slowly abandoned, the eastern harbor town prospered and eventually the traders declared an independent Republic of Eastonia without much resistance. The Eastonians later expanded east into the hills of southern Terra Gurrana to the Upper Eastonia Valley. A small farming settlement sprung up but the area remained underdeveloped for decades until new communications in the form of a netherport were opened near the valley on the border with Catvia and later the Westerland Monorail to Imperia and the Hyperloop to Reuselerria. Over the years, Eastonia's cultural and political center moved eastward and the Upper Eastonia Valley was renamed Eastonia City when it became the nation's official capital. In the 5th millennium, Westonia was founded as an Eastonian colony in Westerland on the plains south of the free city of Dalheim. It was this expansion of Eastonia beyond Terra Gurrana that would later lead to the transformation of Eastonia into a federal republic, in which Westonia was elevated to the rank of "free state" equal in status to Eastonia proper. Eastonia hosted the world's first international millennium celebration on day 4,000 at Blåkulla in eastern Eastonia and has since hosted two others: one in Westerköping, Westonia for day 6,000 and another in Eastonia City at the United Nations headquarters for day 10,000. Government and politics Eastonia is a democratic federation of two states, Eastonia proper and Westonia, and its federal parliament Austramot is the oldest legislative assembly in the known world. It operates under a presidential system with a clear separation of powers between the executive, legislative and judicial branches of the federal government who have their respective seats in three different Eastonian cities: the executive (the President) in Kaupmannavik, the legislative (Austramot) in Eastonia City and the judiciary (the Supreme Court) in Blåkulla. Eastonia City is however the sole official federal capital. The President is the federal head of state and head of government, and is elected directly by the people. On the state level, the equivalent office is Governor. Members of Austramot are elected by proportional representation in multi-member constituencies with boundaries corresponding to those of the Eastonian and Westonian municipalities, with the exception of unincorporated territory in Westonia which falls within the Westerköping constituency. On the state level Westonia has its own legislative assembly, the State Assembly of Westonia which meets at City Hall in Westerköping, while Eastonia proper is a unique case as it has a separate local parliament but it meets in the same building as Austramot when the federal parliament is not in session. Justices of the Supreme Court are appointed by the President and confirmed by Austramot. Foreign relations Under the auspices of Peace and Love, the Eastonian Federation maintains close relations with the majority of sovereign nations in the known world and Eastonia City hosts multiple foreign embassies aswell as the headquarters of the United Nations.